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1956 Speedliner

Hi everyone. I'm brand new to the forum, but not wooden boats, despite a bit of break for several years. However, now I'm back in.

Last weekend I picked up a 1956 Speedliner M414 Contessa. The hull is in good shape with no rot that I can find and only one spot of very minor delamination. The motor was recently rebuilt. The varnish job was less than awesome however.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Re: 1956 Speedliner

It's a Scott-Atwater 33hp from '56. It is not the original to the boat, but what the original owner put on it. It came with all the original receipts from '56. Wrong serial number on the motor, but everything else matches up.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

I had it in the water this weekend for a quick shakedown. The engine ran great, she had an up/down stream averaged of 24kts by GPS. Small leaks where the transom, bottom and topsides come together, which is also where there is some delamination. I'm hopefully going to finish stripping the hardware this evening then start figuring out how to tackle the required woodwork.DSC01121.jpg
I'll post some pics of the problem area later and hope for ideas

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Well one stuck fastener that needed drilling out and one pull switch nut that needed to be split with a cold chisel and she is all stripped. The rub rails will stay on until the varnish work starts in earnest.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

So on to the issues, all ideas will be heard and appreciated, some acted upon

Here is the delaminating area of the port quarter, and one of the starboard.

The first question is what adhesive should I used to re-laminate the plys and how to get it all the way in? I keep going back and forth between epoxy and poly(guerilla glue) Fortunately, other than the some rough edges the wood is all in fine condition.

Oh, and there is a good amount of silicone around which never does the trick of sealing up leaks, but does a great job of messing up future varnish work. Fingers crossed that bringing her down to bare wood will get rid of all the goop.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Then my other thoughts are about how much of the transom framing needs to come off the inside to facilitate sealing back up the leaks? And of course the question, 5200 or not? That stuff works, but it is forever.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Originally Posted by Woxbox

Nice. That boat is in amazing shape for her age.

Thanks, I was quite happy with the condition especially for 61 years old. The previous owner certainly did me a huge favor finding a matching rebuilt engine to go with all the original controls. Here is a shot of the Scott-Atwater start/choke panel for the dash. No key or anything, just hit start and go.

The story is that he found it in a warehouse in Buffalo that was being used as a sailboat shop. Because it was a power boat it had been sitting there for at least 20 years untouched and they wanted it out. He supposedly bought it from the original owners wife about 3 years ago. I have no reason to believe he was telling a tail to sell the boat, but even if he was she is still in great shape and just in need of a little love.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Well I found the rot

Pulled the boards off the bottom of the transom which extend the bottom sheeting aft and right where there should be was rot. The lowest and furthest aft point in the boat. All the poking I did with a pick and I never would have found it, all the exterior wood is sound, which is good for when I put her back together. One ply of the the transom fell right off but the others on the outside look solid. Some screw holes will have to be drilled out and bunged as well. But the dehumidifier has been running for over a day and things are drying out nicely. Some CPES and a little wood replacing and she should be good to go.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Now I'm off to dissembling just about every thing else attached to the transom to get to the bottom of the inside to look for rot there. Along the way I did find something cool. The serial number of the boat was stamped beneath the bit of sacrificial plywood where the engine mounts.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

I also spent some time toothpicking screw holes. As well as extracting broken screws and bunging their holes. None of the holes were too bad, but in the removal many screws were a bit loose so this is just a little insurance for the next 60 years.

Tomorrow evening will probably bring the first application of CPES around the transom.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

A bit of bottom about 4in by 8in had a good amount of rot in the core. The top most ply, visible from the inside, is just fine and I would love to conserve it. So the challenge, and the path I am thinking of taking, will be to remove the bad and scarf in a new plywood patch all while not going all the way through. I am planning to paint the bottom, so that will hide any patch I put in, but the fitting will not be easy.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Well the holidays and lack of wanting to post less than riveting pics of CPES application caused a bit of a slow down here. However, some good repair work has been underway. Attached are some pics of the repairs to the transom. I drilled out many rotten screw holes and bunged them as well as a few larger patches. Then everything was fared and sanded back to shape.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

As for those rotten longitudinal ends. After all the rot was removed and they were drilled out oak dowel was epoxied in. The dowels were left long to match the original length. Then some plastic dams were placed along the sides and thickened epoxy was applied. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a pic of the finished product before reinstalling the transom. Hopefully that spot will never be seen again

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Originally Posted by moTthediesel

That is a dynamite outfit! I love the looks of that Scott -- does that one have the bilge pump feature?

Yup, the motor has the Bale-a-Matic feature. I don't have a hose at the moment, but that should be no issue. I don't think it is something I will plan on using regularly, but will be nice to have in a pinch.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Well the transom re-install is mostly complete. Everything outboard/below the water line is bedded in with 5200 and all the interior bits are back on with polyurethane glue. There are still a few odds and ends to go on, but the bulk of it is done and I think it is structurally sound at least.

I'm going to give it some time for the 5200 to really set up then have a "boat rolling party" to get some extra hands on her for the flip. I'm away for the next several weekends so it will be a while before I can get into the bottom in earnest. Hopefully I can find some little jobs and some sanding to take up the time until she gets flipped.

Re: 1956 Speedliner

Well after a month of no weekends at home and little work done to the Speedliner I am back at it. The cradle is built and I'm rallying the troops to help with the flip. If all goes well she will be bottom side top ways next weekend and ready for some bottom work and a nice fresh coat of paint.